Posted: Tue Aug 09 2011, 03:12 hrs
Dharamsala:
His journey has taken him from Darjeeling to Harvard and back to Dharamsala, but one place he dreams of going to is Tibet, his homeland, where he has never been but whose government-in-exile he now heads.
Dr Lobsang Sangay, 43, legal scholar and political activist born in Darjeeling in a family that had fled Tibet, took oath as the Kalon Tripa (Prime Minister) of Tibetans in exile. He is the first one elected directly, the Dalai Lama having retired as political leader.
“The result of this election should send a clear message to hardliners in the Chinese government that Tibetan leadership is far from fizzling out,” he said in his inaugural address. “I pledge to strengthen and sustain our movement until freedom is restored in Tibet, and His Holiness the Dalai Lama returns to our homeland.”
Later, he told reporters he too wishes to visit his homeland and visit the only surviving member of his father's family, an uncle. He said his father, who was a monk, had taken up arms against the Chinese Army. During their escape, his grandfather and an uncle were killed while a pregnant aunt committed suicide, allegedly forced to do so because she had refused to submit to the Chinese Army. The surviving uncle was forced to return to Tibet.
Source: http://www.indianexpress.com/news/Born-in-Darjeeling--groomed-in-Harvard--PM-pines-for-homeland/829138/
Dharamsala:
His journey has taken him from Darjeeling to Harvard and back to Dharamsala, but one place he dreams of going to is Tibet, his homeland, where he has never been but whose government-in-exile he now heads.
Dr Lobsang Sangay, 43, legal scholar and political activist born in Darjeeling in a family that had fled Tibet, took oath as the Kalon Tripa (Prime Minister) of Tibetans in exile. He is the first one elected directly, the Dalai Lama having retired as political leader.
“The result of this election should send a clear message to hardliners in the Chinese government that Tibetan leadership is far from fizzling out,” he said in his inaugural address. “I pledge to strengthen and sustain our movement until freedom is restored in Tibet, and His Holiness the Dalai Lama returns to our homeland.”
Later, he told reporters he too wishes to visit his homeland and visit the only surviving member of his father's family, an uncle. He said his father, who was a monk, had taken up arms against the Chinese Army. During their escape, his grandfather and an uncle were killed while a pregnant aunt committed suicide, allegedly forced to do so because she had refused to submit to the Chinese Army. The surviving uncle was forced to return to Tibet.
Source: http://www.indianexpress.com/news/Born-in-Darjeeling--groomed-in-Harvard--PM-pines-for-homeland/829138/